U.S. patent application number 13/741852 was filed with the patent office on 2014-03-20 for inkjet print head.
This patent application is currently assigned to SAMSUNG ELECTRO-MECHANICS CO., LTD.. The applicant listed for this patent is SAMSUNG ELECTRO-MECHANICS CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Byung Hun Kim, Hwa Sun Lee, Yoon Sok PARK, Seung Joo Shin.
Application Number | 20140078224 13/741852 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 50274039 |
Filed Date | 2014-03-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140078224 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
PARK; Yoon Sok ; et
al. |
March 20, 2014 |
INKJET PRINT HEAD
Abstract
There is provided an inkjet print head, including: a first
pressure chamber connected to a first common channel; a second
pressure chamber connected to a second common channel; a connection
channel connecting the first pressure chamber to the second
pressure chamber; and a nozzle formed in the first pressure chamber
or the second pressure chamber.
Inventors: |
PARK; Yoon Sok; (Suwon,
KR) ; Shin; Seung Joo; (Suwon, KR) ; Kim;
Byung Hun; (Suwon, KR) ; Lee; Hwa Sun; (Suwon,
KR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
SAMSUNG ELECTRO-MECHANICS CO., LTD. |
Suwon |
|
KR |
|
|
Assignee: |
SAMSUNG ELECTRO-MECHANICS CO.,
LTD.
Suwon
KR
|
Family ID: |
50274039 |
Appl. No.: |
13/741852 |
Filed: |
January 15, 2013 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
347/71 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B41J 2/14233 20130101;
B41J 2202/12 20130101; B41J 2/045 20130101; B41J 2002/14338
20130101; B41J 2002/14403 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
347/71 |
International
Class: |
B41J 2/045 20060101
B41J002/045 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Sep 20, 2012 |
KR |
10-2012-0104398 |
Claims
1. An inkjet print head, comprising: a first pressure chamber
connected to a first common channel; a second pressure chamber
connected to a second common channel; a connection channel
connecting the first pressure chamber to the second pressure
chamber; and a nozzle formed in the first pressure chamber or the
second pressure chamber.
2. The inkjet print head of claim 1, wherein the first pressure
chamber and the second pressure chamber are serially connected to
one another.
3. The inkjet print head of claim 1, wherein the first pressure
chamber and the second pressure chamber have different volumes.
4. The inkjet print head of claim 1, further comprising: a first
actuator generating pressure in the first pressure chamber; and a
second actuator generating pressure in the second pressure
chamber.
5. The inkjet print head of claim 4, wherein the first actuator and
the second actuator have different sizes.
6. The inkjet print head of claim 1, wherein the first common
channel is connected to an ink supplying part, and the second
common channel is connected to an ink recovering part.
7. The inkjet print head of claim 6, the ink supplying part and the
ink recovering part are connected to one another so that ink is
circulated therebetween.
8. An inkjet print head, comprising: a first pressure chamber
connected to a first common channel; a second pressure chamber
connected to a second common channel; a third pressure chamber
connected to the first pressure chamber and the second pressure
chamber; and a nozzle formed in the third pressure chamber.
9. The inkjet print head of claim 8, wherein the third pressure
chamber has a different volume from that of the first pressure
chamber or the second pressure chamber.
10. The inkjet print head of claim 8, further comprising: a first
actuator generating pressure in the first pressure chamber; a
second actuator generating pressure in the second pressure chamber;
and a third actuator generating pressure in the third pressure
chamber.
11. The inkjet print head of claim 10, wherein the third actuator
has a different size from that of the first actuator or the second
actuator.
12. The inkjet print head of claim 8, wherein the first common
channel is connected to an ink supplying part, and the second
common channel is connected to an ink recovering part.
13. The inkjet print head of claim 12, wherein the ink supplying
part and the ink recovering part are connected to one another so
that ink is circulated therebetween.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the priority of Korean Patent
Application No. 10-2012-0104398 filed on Sep. 20, 2012, in the
Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is
incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to an inkjet print head, and
more particularly, to an inkjet print head capable of improving ink
discharge efficiency through ink circulation.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] An inkjet print head may print a desired figure, shape or
pattern by discharging micro-sized ink droplets (or a liquid
industrial material) through a nozzle.
[0006] However, the above-mentioned inkjet print head has a
disadvantage in that a discharge performance thereof may be
degraded over a long period of time. For example, since foreign
objects or air bubbles contained in ink may interrupt the discharge
of ink through nozzles, they may degrade discharge efficiency of
the inkjet print head.
[0007] Therefore, the development of an inkjet print head capable
of decreasing the degradation of discharge efficiency of the inkjet
print head due to the foreign objects or the air bubbles contained
in the ink is required.
[0008] Meanwhile, examples of the related art associated with the
inkjet print head include Patent Documents 1 and 2. Patent Document
1 discloses the use of a plurality of actuators, and Patent
Document 2 discloses that the ink is pressure-fed in one direction
using a plurality of actuators.
[0009] However, these Patent Documents do not only recognize a
problem due to foreign objects or air bubbles contained in ink, but
also do not disclose any configuration for solving the
above-mentioned problem.
RELATED ART DOCUMENT
[0010] (Patent Document 1) JP 2010-221443 A [0011] (Patent Document
2) JP 2008-184884 A
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] An aspect of the present invention provides an inkjet print
head capable of improving ink discharge efficiency by smoothly
circulating ink.
[0013] According to an aspect of the present invention, there is
provided an inkjet print head, including: a first pressure chamber
connected to a first common channel; a second pressure chamber
connected to a second common channel; a connection channel
connecting the first pressure chamber to the second pressure
chamber; and a nozzle formed in the first pressure chamber or the
second pressure chamber.
[0014] The first pressure chamber and the second pressure chamber
may be serially connected to one another.
[0015] The first pressure chamber and the second pressure chamber
may have different volumes.
[0016] The inkjet print head may further include: a first actuator
generating pressure in the first pressure chamber; and a second
actuator generating pressure in the second pressure chamber.
[0017] The first actuator and the second actuator may have
different sizes.
[0018] The first common channel may be connected to an ink
supplying part, and the second common channel may be connected to
an ink recovering part.
[0019] The ink supplying part and the ink recovering part may be
connected to one another so that ink may be circulated
therebetween.
[0020] According to another aspect of the present invention, there
is provided an inkjet print head, including: a first pressure
chamber connected to a first common channel; a second pressure
chamber connected to a second common channel; a third pressure
chamber connected to the first pressure chamber and the second
pressure chamber; and a nozzle formed in the third pressure
chamber.
[0021] The third pressure chamber may have a different volume from
that of the first pressure chamber or the second pressure
chamber.
[0022] The inkjet print head may further include: a first actuator
generating pressure in the first pressure chamber; a second
actuator generating pressure in the second pressure chamber; and a
third actuator generating pressure in the third pressure
chamber.
[0023] The third actuator may have a different size from that of
the first actuator or the second actuator.
[0024] The first common channel may be connected to an ink
supplying part, and the second common channel may be connected to
an ink recovering part.
[0025] The ink supplying part and the ink recovering part may be
connected to one another so that ink may be circulated
therebetween.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0026] The above and other aspects, features and other advantages
of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the
following detailed description taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings, in which:
[0027] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an inkjet print
head according a first embodiment of the present invention;
[0028] FIG. 2 is a view describing an operation of the inkjet print
head shown in FIG. 1;
[0029] FIGS. 3 through 7 are views describing another operation of
the inkjet print head shown in FIG. 1;
[0030] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing an inkjet print
head according a second embodiment of the present invention;
[0031] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing an inkjet print
head according a third embodiment of the present invention;
[0032] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing an inkjet print
head according a fourth embodiment of the present invention;
and
[0033] FIGS. 11 through 15 are views describing an operation of the
inkjet print head shown in FIG. 10.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0034] In the inkjet print head according to the related art, ink
only flows in one direction (from a common channel to a nozzle),
such that a nozzle obstruction phenomenon due to foreign objects or
air bubbles may occur in the nozzle.
[0035] In the present invention, an object of which is to solve the
above-mentioned problem, a first pressure chamber and a second
pressure chamber are connected to one another so that ink is
circulated in an inkjet print head.
[0036] In the inkjet print head having the above-described ink
circulation structure according to the embodiment of the present
invention, the ink is continuously circulated so that the
phenomenon in which the foreign objects or air bubbles are
concentrated in the nozzle may be alleviated, whereby the nozzle
obstruction phenomenon in the nozzle may be decreased.
[0037] Further, according to the embodiment of the present
invention, a plurality of actuators respectively provided with a
plurality of pressure chambers generate pressure, whereby a
discharge speed and a discharge force of the ink may be
improved.
[0038] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be
described in detail with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
[0039] The invention may, however, be embodied in many different
forms and should not be construed as being limited to the
embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are
provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and
will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in
the art.
[0040] In the drawings, the shapes and dimensions of components may
be exaggerated for clarity, and the same reference numerals will be
used throughout to designate the same or like components.
[0041] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an inkjet print
head according a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2
is a view describing an operation of the inkjet print head shown in
FIG. 1; FIGS. 3 through 7 are views describing another operation of
the inkjet print head shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional
view showing an inkjet print head according a second embodiment of
the present invention; FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing an
inkjet print head according a third embodiment of the present
invention; FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing an inkjet
print head according a fourth embodiment of the present invention;
and FIGS. 11 through 15 are views describing an operation of the
inkjet print head shown in FIG. 10.
[0042] An inkjet print head according to a first embodiment of the
present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1.
[0043] An inkjet print head 100 according to the first embodiment
of the present invention may include a first common channel 102, a
second common channel 104, a first pressure chamber 110, a second
pressure chamber 120, a connection channel 140, and a nozzle 150.
In addition, the inkjet print head 100 may include a first actuator
160 and a second actuator 170.
[0044] The first common channel 102 may be elongated in a first
direction (a Y axis direction of FIG. 1) of the inkjet print head
100. The first common channel 102 formed as described above may be
connected to an ink supplying part in which ink is stored.
Therefore, the ink may be continuously supplied through the first
common channel 102.
[0045] The first common channel 102 may have a first pressure P1
having a predetermined level formed therein. The first pressure P1
may be higher than atmospheric pressure. In addition, the first
pressure P1 may be higher than pressure of the first pressure
chamber 110. Therefore, the ink in the first pressure chamber 110
may be moved to the second pressure chamber 120 without flowing
backwardly into the first common channel 102.
[0046] The second common channel 104 may be elongated in a first
direction (the Y axis direction of FIG. 1) of the inkjet print head
100. That is, the second common channel 104 may be formed in
parallel with the first common channel 102. The second common
channel 104 formed as described above may be connected to an ink
recovering part in which the ink is recovered. Therefore, the ink
may be continuously recovered through the second common channel
104.
[0047] The second common channel 104 may have a second pressure P2
having a predetermined level formed therein. The second pressure P2
may be lower than atmospheric pressure. In addition, the second
pressure P2 may be lower than pressure of the second pressure
chamber 120. Therefore, the ink in the second pressure chamber 120
may be moved to the second common channel 104 without flowing
backwardly into the first pressure chamber 110.
[0048] The first pressure chamber 110 may be formed upwardly on one
side of the first common channel 102 (an X axis direction of FIG.
1). The first pressure chamber 110 may have a predetermined volume
and may store the ink supplied from the first common channel
102.
[0049] The first pressure chamber 110 may include a first damper
112, extended downwardly (the Y axis direction of FIG. 1). The
first damper 112 may alleviate a phenomenon in which the ink in the
first pressure chamber 110 is rapidly moved to the second pressure
chamber 120. However, the first damper 112 may be omitted as
necessary.
[0050] Meanwhile, although not shown, the first pressure chamber
110 and the first common channel 102 may be connected to one
another by a channel having a restrictor shape.
[0051] The second pressure chamber 120 may be formed downwardly on
one side of the second common channel 104 (the X axis direction of
FIG. 1). The second pressure chamber 120 may have a predetermined
volume and may store the ink moved from the first pressure chamber
110.
[0052] The second pressure chamber 120 may include a second damper
122, extended downwardly (the Y axis direction of FIG. 1). The
second damper 122 may alleviate a phenomenon in which the ink is
rapidly moved from the first pressure chamber 110 to the second
pressure chamber 120. However, the second damper 122 may be omitted
as necessary.
[0053] Meanwhile, although not shown, the second pressure chamber
120 and the second common channel 104 may be connected to one
another by a channel having a restrictor shape.
[0054] The connection channel 140 may be formed between the first
pressure chamber 110 and the second pressure chamber 120. The
connection channel 140 formed as described above may connect the
first pressure chamber 110 and the second pressure chamber 120 to
one another.
[0055] The connection channel 140 may be formed in the pressure
chambers 110 and 120 or the dampers 112 and 122. For example, the
connection channel 140 may connect the first pressure chamber 110
and the second pressure chamber 120 to one another, or may connect
the first damper 112 and the second damper 122 to one another.
[0056] The nozzle 150 may be formed in the second pressure chamber
120. The nozzle 150 formed as described above may discharge the ink
stored in the first pressure chamber 110 or the second pressure
chamber 120 to the outside.
[0057] The nozzle 150 may have a cross sectional diameter
decreasing downwardly (a Z axis direction of FIG. 1) of the inkjet
print head 100, as shown in FIG. 1. This shape may be useful for
discharging a fixed quantity of ink.
[0058] For reference, although the nozzle 150 is illustrated to be
formed in the second pressure chamber 120, the nozzle 150 may be
formed in the first pressure chamber 110, as necessary.
[0059] The first actuator 160 may be formed on the first pressure
chamber 110. The first actuator 160 may be operated according to an
electrical signal and may generate positive pressure or negative
pressure in the first pressure chamber 110.
[0060] The first actuator 160 may include a piezoelectric element
and upper and lower electrode members. More specifically, the first
actuator 160 may be a laminated structure in which the upper and
lower electrode members are disposed, having the piezoelectric
element therebetween.
[0061] The lower electrode member may be formed on an upper surface
of a vibration plate and may be made of one or more conductive
metal materials. For example, the lower electrode member may be
formed of two metal members made of titanium (Ti) and platinum
(Pt).
[0062] The piezoelectric element may be formed on the lower
electrode member. More specifically, the piezoelectric element may
be thinly formed on a surface of the lower electrode member by a
screen printing method, a sputtering method, or the like. The
piezoelectric element may be made of piezoelectric materials. For
example, the piezoelectric element may be made of a ceramic (for
example, PZT) material.
[0063] The upper electrode member may be formed on an upper surface
of the piezoelectric element. The upper electrode member may be
made of any one of Pt, Au, Ag, Ni, Ti and Cu.
[0064] The first actuator 160 configured as described above may be
tensioned and contracted according to the electrical signal and may
generate pressure in the first pressure chamber 110.
[0065] The second actuator 170 may be formed on the second pressure
chamber 120. The second actuator 170 may be operated according to
an electrical signal and may generate positive pressure or negative
pressure in the second pressure chamber 120.
[0066] The second actuator 170 may include a piezoelectric element
and, similar to the first actuator 160. More specifically, the
second actuator 170 may be a laminated structure in which the upper
and lower electrode members are disposed, having the piezoelectric
element therebetween.
[0067] The lower electrode member may be formed on an upper surface
of a vibration plate and may be made of one or more conductive
metal materials. For example, the lower electrode member may be
formed of two metal members made of titanium (Ti) and platinum
(Pt). For reference, the lower electrode member of the second
actuator 170 may be the same as that of the first actuator 160.
[0068] The piezoelectric element may be formed on the lower
electrode member. More specifically, the piezoelectric element may
be thinly formed on a surface of the lower electrode member by a
screen printing method, a sputtering method, or the like. The
piezoelectric element may be made of piezoelectric materials. For
example, the piezoelectric element may be made of a ceramic (for
example, PZT) material.
[0069] The upper electrode member may be formed on an upper surface
of the piezoelectric element. The upper electrode member may be
made of any one of Pt, Au, Ag, Ni, Ti and Cu.
[0070] The second actuator 170 configured as described above may be
tensioned and contracted according to the electrical signal and may
generate pressure in the second pressure chamber 120.
[0071] In the inkjet print head 100 configured as described above,
the ink may continuously flow in a sequence of the common channel
102, the first pressure chamber 110, the second pressure chamber
120, and the second common channel 104. Therefore, the phenomenon
in which foreign objects or air bubbles contained in the ink are
concentrated in the nozzle 150 to thereby degrade discharge
characteristics of the nozzle 150 may be alleviated.
[0072] Meanwhile, although not shown in FIG. 1, the first common
channel 102 and the second common channel 104 may be
interconnected. In this case, there may be an ink circulation
structure in which the ink supplied from the first common channel
102 is re-introduced into the first common channel 102 through the
second common channel 104.
[0073] A filter filtering the foreign objects contained in the ink
and a degassing device removing the air bubbles contained in the
ink may be installed between the first common channel 102 and the
second common channel 104. As described above, the inkjet print
head 100 including the filter and the degassing device may remove
the foreign objects and the air bubbles from the ink, such that the
nozzle obstruction phenomenon of the nozzle 150 may be effectively
alleviated, whereby characteristics and performance of printing
quality may be improved.
[0074] Operations of the inkjet print head according to the first
embodiment of the present invention will be described with
reference to FIGS. 2 to 7.
[0075] The inkjet print head 100 according to the first embodiment
of the present invention may be operated in two methods. One method
may be a first operating method in which the first actuator 160 and
the second actuator 170 are simultaneously operated and the other
method may be a second operating method in which the first actuator
160 and the second actuator 170 are operating, while having a time
difference therebetween.
[0076] First, the first operating method of the inkjet print head
100 will be described with reference to FIG. 2.
[0077] The first operating method may discharge the ink using the
first actuator 160 and the second actuator 170 being simultaneously
operated. That is, in the first operating method, the first
actuator 160 and the second actuator 170 are simultaneously
operated in a state in which the first pressure chamber 110 and the
second pressure chamber 120 are filled with the ink, thereby
allowing the ink in the first pressure chamber 110 or the second
pressure chamber 120 to be discharged through the nozzle 150. An
amount of the ink discharged through the nozzle 150 may be equal to
or less than the volume of the first pressure chamber 110 or that
of the second pressure chamber 120. Meanwhile, the ink which is not
discharged through the nozzle 150 may be moved to the second common
channel 104 through the second pressure chamber 120.
[0078] Next, the second operating method of the inkjet print head
100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 through 7.
[0079] The second operating method may operate the first actuator
160 and the second actuator 170 sequentially. More specifically,
the second operating method may discharge the ink by which the
first actuator 160 is operated and the second actuator 170 is then
operated. Here, a flow of the ink according to the operations of
the actuators 160 and 170 may be sequentially performed as shown in
FIGS. 3 through 7.
[0080] First, when the first actuator 160 is operated to thereby
apply pressure to the first pressure chamber 110, the ink in the
first pressure chamber 110 may be moved to the second pressure
chamber 120. In this case, when the second actuator 170 is operated
while having a predetermined time difference between the first
actuator 160 and the second actuator 170 to thereby apply pressure
to the second pressure chamber 120, the ink moving from the first
pressure chamber 110 to the second pressure chamber 120 may be
discharged through the nozzle 150 and the ink remaining in the
second pressure chamber 120 may be moved to the second common
channel 104.
[0081] Meanwhile, in a process in which the first actuator 160
returns to an original state thereof, when negative pressure is
applied to the first pressure chamber 110 (see FIG. 5), the ink in
the first common channel 102 may be introduced into the first
pressure chamber 110. Similarly, in a process in which the second
actuator 170 returns to an original state thereof, when negative
pressure is applied to the second pressure chamber 120 (see FIG.
6), the ink may be moved from the first pressure chamber 110 to the
second pressure chamber 120. Thereafter, when the actuators 160 and
170 entirely return to normal state, the state in which the first
pressure chamber 110 and the second pressure chamber 120 are filled
with the ink may be maintained as shown in FIG. 7.
[0082] Hereinafter, further embodiments of the present invention
will be described. For reference, in the following embodiments, the
same reference numerals will be used to describe the same
components as those of the first embodiment. In addition, a
detailed description of the same components will be omitted.
[0083] An inkjet print head according to a second embodiment of the
present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 8.
[0084] The inkjet print head 100 according to the second embodiment
of the present invention may be distinguished from that of the
first embodiment in that the first pressure chamber 110 and the
second pressure chamber 120 have different volumes.
[0085] In order to smoothly move the ink from the first common
channel 102 to the second common channel 104, the first pressure
chamber 110 needs to have a higher pressure than that of the second
pressure chamber 120. In consideration of this fact, according to
the present embodiment, the first pressure chamber 110 may be
formed to have a volume V1 larger than a volume V2 of the second
pressure chamber 120.
[0086] In the inkjet print head 100 configured as described above,
the volume V1 of the first pressure chamber 110 is larger than the
volume V2 of the second pressure chamber 120, whereby the pressure
of the first pressure chamber 110 may be higher than the pressure
of the second pressure chamber 120 in a stopped state (a state in
which the actuators are not operated). Therefore, in the present
embodiment, the phenomenon in which the ink in the second pressure
chamber 120 backwardly flows to the first pressure chamber 110 may
be effectively prevented and the ink may tend to move from the
first pressure chamber 110 to the second pressure chamber 120.
[0087] An inkjet print head according to a third embodiment of the
present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 9.
[0088] The inkjet print head 100 according to the third embodiment
of the present invention may be distinguished from those of the
above described embodiments in that the first actuator 160 and the
second actuator 170 have different sizes. More specifically, the
first actuator 160 may be larger than the second actuator 170. For
example, the first actuator 160 may be longer than the second
actuator 170 or may have driving force greater than that of the
second actuator 170.
[0089] In the inkjet print head 100 configured as described above,
the pressure formed in the first pressure chamber 110 is higher
than the pressure formed in the second pressure chamber 120 when
the actuators 160 and 170 are operated, whereby the ink may be
effectively moved from the first pressure chamber 110 to the second
pressure chamber 120.
[0090] An inkjet print head according to a fourth embodiment of the
present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 10.
[0091] The inkjet print head 100 according to the fourth embodiment
of the present invention may be distinguished from those of the
above described embodiments in terms of the number of pressure
chambers. More specifically, the inkjet print head 100 may include
first, second, and third pressure chambers 110, 120, and 130. In
addition, the inkjet print head 100 may include first, second, and
third actuators 160, 170, and 180 corresponding to the pressure
chambers 110, 120, and 130, respectively.
[0092] Here, the first pressure chamber 110, the second pressure
chamber 120, and the third pressure chamber 130 may have the same
volume or may have different volumes. Alternatively, the third
pressure chamber 130 may have the volume smaller than that of the
first pressure chamber 110 or the second pressure chamber 120.
[0093] Similarly, the first actuator 160, the second actuator 170,
and the third actuator 180 may have the same size or may have
different sizes. Alternatively, the third actuator 180 may have the
size less than that of the second actuator 170 or the first
actuator 160.
[0094] Meanwhile, the inkjet print head 100 according to the
present embodiment may have the nozzle 150 formed in the second
pressure chamber 120 or the third pressure chamber 130. However, a
position of the nozzle 150 may be changed as necessary.
[0095] The inkjet print head 100 configured as described above
includes the plurality of pressure chambers 110, 120 and 130 and
the plurality of actuators 160, 170 and 180, whereby the ink may
effectively flow in a direction from the first common channel 102
to the second common channel 104.
[0096] An operation of the inkjet print head according to the
fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with
reference to FIGS. 11 through 15.
[0097] The inkjet print head 100 according to the fourth embodiment
of the present invention may allow the first actuator 160 and the
second actuator 170 to be operated at different time points. For
example, the first actuator 160 may initially be operated and then
the second actuator 170 and the third actuator 180 may be
simultaneously operated, as shown in FIGS. 11 through 15.
[0098] However, the order of operating the actuators 160, 170 and
180 is not limited thereto. That is, the order of operating the
actuators 160, 170 and 180 may be changed as necessary. For
example, the first actuator 160, the second actuator 170, and the
third actuator 180 may be sequentially operated.
[0099] The inkjet print head 100 configured as described above may
subdivide the pressure chambers into a space in which the ink is
discharged (the second pressure chamber 120 based on FIG. 10) and a
space in which the ink moves (the first pressure chamber 110 and
the third pressure chamber 130 based on FIG. 10). Therefore,
according to the present embodiment, the ink is allowed to
circulate smoothly while the ink discharge characteristics are
improved.
[0100] As set forth above, an inkjet print head according to
embodiments of the present invention allows ink to be continuously
circulated, whereby the ink discharge characteristics and
efficiency thereof may be improved.
[0101] While the present invention has been shown and described in
connection with the embodiments, it will be apparent to those
skilled in the art that modifications and variations can be made
without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as
defined by the appended claims.
* * * * *